1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to hot-air hair dryers and relates particularly to a hot-air hair dryer which produces negative ions using a high-voltage transformer.
2. Description of Prior Developments
It is well known that combing and brushing one's hair can impart a static electrical charge on the hair. This is generally considered undesirable insofar as statically charged hair is difficult to manage and can attract airborne dust and dirt.
Since one's hair is often brushed or combed when being dried by a conventional hair dryer, some hair dryers have been provided with ion generators to neutralize the static charge created by combing and brushing during hair drying. Although these prior hair dryers generally function satisfactorily, they often rely on the use of piezoelectric generators to produce ions. These generators must be mechanically operated by a user and are not particularly convenient to use.
Some prior ion-generating hair dryers have used voltage generators to produce ions, but the voltages produced have been relatively low, such as 1600 to 1700 volts applied to a negative ion emitter. Moreover, conventional voltage generators are relatively bulky and heavy and result in a relatively large hair dryer assembly.
Accordingly, a need exists for an ion-emitting hair dryer which produces relatively highly charged negative ions and which requires a single ion generator.
A further need exists for such a hair dryer which is compact, lightweight, easy-to-use and which avoids the use of manually-actuated piezoelectric ion generators.